We Move Aboard

 

Galley

Salon, port side

Salon, starboard side

Bathroom cabinet

V-berth

It's official:  Joan and & are now "live-aboards" on Dragonfly!

This has been an arduous, eight-month-long process, starting out in our 2300-square-foot house in Houston where we lived for 24 years and raised three kids; packing, selling, giving-away, throwing away, all that STUFF a family tends to accumulate, deciding what to keep, what to take with us, what to store, what the heck to do with it all.  From there, we had to downsize into a 500-square-foot apartment, where we lived while I got the boat ready to live in.  And then, one final stage of downsizing: moving onto a boat that has maybe 200 square feet of living space. 

It's extremely hard to make that kind of transition.  I guess you could say we erred on the "liberal" side, planning to take along a LOT of stuff.  But reality quickly set in, and it becomes very apparent that a boat is a lot smaller than you think.

Last night, November 30, was our first night sleeping here.  And wouldn't you know - the temperature gets down into the mid 30s!  But with piles of blankets, a single little electric heater, and Dragonfly's amazing ability to keep out the cold, we were reasonably comfortable.  Come daybreak, a piping hot pot of coffee (thanks to my awesome propane stove installation) insured we were ready to face the day.

Right now, things aboard are a major mess.  I got piles and piles of stuff everywhere that must be organized and stored, or taken off and packed away.  (You may have noticed that the above photos don't include the aft cabin.  Reason: it's a junk room and you can't even get in the door!)  It will take DAYS to straighten it all out and turn it into a real home.

And yes, there are more upgrades, fixes, and other boat projects waiting in the wings.   Much to do before we cast off the docklines, hopefully by February.